What’s Black and White and Reveals Historic Porpoise Distributions?
Centuries-old newspaper clippings from Sweden
New NASA Graphic Captures Human Activity at Night
Bright lights in a dark world
Coral Reefs Are at a Tipping Point
My underwater dive to discover whether the beautiful ocean organisms are ever coming back
Ancient Teeth Hint at Homo Erectus-Denisovan Interbreeding
The human family tree gets more complicated
Meet “The Last Titan,” Southeast Asia’s Most Massive Dinosaur
Its femur was larger than most people
Latest Stories
Why Penguins Don’t Fly
We have a lot to learn about adaptability from a bird who evolved to swim
The Impossible Strength of the Testosterone Myth
Scientists keep knocking it down but it keeps roaring back
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: Precarious
See moreStare Into the Heart of an Ancient Iceberg
The beauty of the blue ice belies a fragility exposed by human activity
“Iceland Is Going to Erupt Again Very Soon”
Deep beneath the volcanic island, scientists are trying to predict the next big one
For Every Patient Their Own Drug
Patients with exceedingly rare genetic diseases fall through the cracks of the medical system. This doctor is designing drugs for them, one at a time.
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more Astronomy
Perseverance Snaps a Selfie on Mars
The rover took a break from geochemistry to take stock of itself
Astronomers Capture Cosmic Web in Staggering Detail
It’s the most detailed map of our universe’s architecture ever created
History
See more HistoryIs This Why Science Advances One Funeral at a Time?
As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work
Psychology
See more PsychologyDoes Sexual Attraction Cloud Our Rejection Detection?
The ability to read signals may be impaired by arousal
What Your Dream Life Says About You
A conversation with a dream researcher about how dream content and recall may reflect personality and thinking style
The Mix-up at the Heart of the Supreme Court’s Conversion Therapy Ruling
A psychiatrist on the crucial distinction the case glosses over, how media coverage has made it worse, and why that’s dangerous for LGBTQ+ youth
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Environment
See more EnvironmentThe Tonga Volcano Cleaned Up After Itself
The blast scrubbed some of its own methane emissions from the atmosphere
The Healing Powers of an Accidentally Caught Jellyfish
How jellyfish in bycatch yield collagen for skin care, drug capsules, and nutritional supplements
These Whales Are Screaming in the Strait of Gibraltar
Critically endangered pilot whales struggle to communicate over the din of boats
Zoology
See more ZoologyGarlic: Culinary Staple, Birth Control for Flies
A study finds the pungent bulb to be a real turn-off for them
Can Selective Breeding Save Bulldogs from Their Breathing Problems?
New research is pointing to relief for out flattest-faced dogs
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyThe Bad Seed and the Problem of Blame
A conversation with behavioral geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden about the heritability of vice
A Light in the Dark: Finding the Good in the Natural World
Is it absurd to think that science can inform our values?
How ‘Tiny Shortcuts’ Are Poisoning Science
Seemingly harmless data tweaks are undermining the integrity of the entire field. We must define the problem to prevent it
What Lamarck’s Giraffe Got Right
Jessica Riskin’s three greatest revelations while writing Power of Life
Read more
See all postsStop Demonizing the Birdwatchers Who Contracted Hantavirus
Landfills are actually excellent places to beef up your lifetime list
Your Brain Can Learn Things When You’re Unconscious
It’s more awake and alive to the outside world under anesthesia than we thought
The Genetic Secrets of the Fruit Fly That Hunts Its Prey
It’s evolved far beyond a rotten apple
Why Do Regular Cannabis Users Tend to Weigh Less?
New research in mice is shedding light on this paradox
How Trump’s Science Cuts Threaten National Security
Weak science leads to bad forecasting and poor decision making
Thousands of Scientists Sign Letter to Combat Science Board’s Firing
The signatories, including more than 35 Nobel laureates, decry the “alarming attack on the ability of the US to engage in basic and applied research”
New Fathers Are Dying, and We Don’t Know Why
A conversation with a pediatrician about the first study to track paternal mortality
